These were the final words of beloved religion professor Dr. Paul Fink as he looked up to heaven moments before passing away Saturday, Sept. 7, at Lynchburg Regional Hospital, according to his daughter Cathy Eubank.

Legacy — “Preach the word.” Photo provided

He is survived by his wife Mary and his children Anne, Glenn, Jerry, Cathy, Dawn and Gary, according to Eubank. Fink arrived at Liberty in 1979, where he taught religion classes for 34 years before retiring in May 2013.

“He has left men who want to preach the Bible the way the Bible wants to be preached,” Rory Chapman, who took four of Fink’s classes, said.

According to Chapman, Fink’s courses required a large amount of work, but the results were rewarding.

“It was the one thing that made us love him so much, because he challenged people, because he made sure, if you’re going to study the scriptures, if you’re going to know the word, then you have to do it right,” Chapman said.

According to Chapman, Fink’s classes, particularly his inductive Bible study course, will impact his ministry and those of his classmates for years to come.

“Everybody will tell you that they still use his methods,” Chapman said. “I still even use his formatting method for writing sermons.”

“He was my favorite professor,” Graves said. “Without him, I would not know how to study the Bible like I do today. He taught me the proper way to handle God’s word. He also taught me to take it really seriously.”

According to Graves, Fink was serious about the study of the Bible, but he also had a great sense of humor along with a willingness to help his students.

“You could always visit him or call him if you needed help, not even just with homework … if you had any type of problem, he was always willing to talk,” Graves said.

According to Eubank, Fink did not only impact the lives of his students. He had a great influence on his children’s lives as well.

“Dad demonstrated his love for Christ through everything he did and how he cared for us and provided for us,” Eubank said. “Christ was number one in his life, then mom and us kids.”
According to Eubank, Fink and his wife, Mary, gave birth to their son Glenn and adopted Anne, Jerry, Cathy, Dawn and Gary.
“He adopted me into his family and taught me to love God and to know him with all my heart, just the same way God adopted me into his family and still teaches me to love him each and every day,” Eubank said.

Fink did not only serve as a professor and parent, but also as a soldier, according to Eubank.

“He loved his country and what freedoms came from our service men and women,” Eubank said. “His brother Glenn died (in the D-Day invasion). I won’t forget him telling us. ‘I was on the Iowa, and Glenn was on the Juneau. I looked one minute, it was there and, the next, it was gone.’”

According to Eubank, Fink loved his country as well as teaching students.

“He always said, ‘Preach the word. Preach the word. Preach the word,’ and it’s a three word mantra that will pretty much always be a mantra of every single one of his students,” Chapman said. “If I were him, I would be happy to have left a legacy like that.”